At Midnight
by ablackwidow
Summary: When she believes that her life has no meaning, Cinderella is greeted with a startling surprise.


**A/N: **Another piece of mine that was entered in a Mibba contest (but was never judged). This is a little crossover also inspired by a Disney image involving Doctor Who! Our task was to create an adventure between the Doctor and the Princess or character in the image. I chose Cinderella and created a little heart-felt adventure.

* * *

><p>"Doctor, what's happening?" Clara shouted. She jostled from one side of the control room to the other, clutching her tea mug tightly with one hand and holding onto the steel railing with the other. At the control panel, the Doctor was busy hitting random buttons and flipping various switches. Did the man even know what he was doing? Clara thought it best not to question him, she wouldn't admit it, but she was fearful of him sometimes.<p>

"Not sure, Clara!" he shouted over the roar the TARDIS made. They were spinning blindly through space and time with no idea of where they would find themselves next. "Something must have tripped in Her wiring! According to the screen... well! I've never seen anything like this before!"

"What?" Clara asked. Her legs wobbled as the forces around her threatened to push her to the other side of the TARDIS.

"Hang on, Clara! We just missed a black hole! Things are about to get bumpy!"

_As if they aren't already!_ She wanted to shout, but instead she yelled, "Missed a black hole?"

"A good thing too!" the Doctor shouted back.

Clara stared at him, wide eyed. She brought up her tea mug to her lips and took a sip of the cold liquid. "We're going down!" the Doctor exclaimed. Once the mad man began screaming, Clara let go of her mug and held onto the steel railing with all her might, echoing the screams. Her stomach somersaulted as the TARDIS plunged downwards.

"We're being sucked into the gravitational field of some unknown planet. THIS IS FASCINATING, CLARA!"

"I'm sure it's fascinating, Doctor. I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT IF WE'LL LIVE TO SEE IT!"

The sudden impact with ground caused the two to fly in different directions. Clara groaned, rolling over and pushing herself up once all was still. The Doctor quickly perked his head up and grinned like a child in a candy store. The man returned to the control panel and began his routine of hitting buttons and pulling levers; all the while, Clara took her sweet time composing herself after the unsettling event. "What now?" she asked.

The Doctor turned away from the control panel and smiled, "We explore."

* * *

><p>Cinderella ran.<p>

She heard footsteps behind her, urging her to run even faster. If only the shoes didn't slow her down. "Wait! Come back, I didn't catch your name!" Cinderella ignored the prince as the sounds of the clock echoed in her ears. Midnight had arrived, it was only a matter of time before the magic wore off and she returned to looking like a peasant. Would the Prince even acknowledge her for the truth? Would he hate her for what she really was, a servant?

She ran through the garden of the palace, shaking the prince off of her tail. Her breathing was hard and heavy, her lungs swelled for the desire of air. Cinderella threw open the carriage door and jumped inside. Instantly, the driver (her mice) took off. Cinderella placed a hand over her rising and falling chest, catching her breath. Her eyes stung and filled with tears. How she wanted that moment to continue, how she hated that this magic only lasted for a few hours! She dreamed of a life where she wasn't someone's slave.

Cinderella closed her eyes and wept quietly as the carriage rolled along the cobblestone streets towards home. Then, something strange happened.

The carriage swerved left and right, Cinderella quickly pushed back the curtain on the window of the door and looked out into the night. There, in the sky she saw something falling. Was it a shooting star? No, the object was too dark to be a star. "Stop!" she shouted as the thing in the sky crashed into a field.

Cinderella pushed open the door and stepped out. One foot felt colder than the other. She lifted her dress slightly and saw that she was missing a glass slipper. She couldn't worry about that now, the girl was curious about the strange object that fell from the sky. She grasped her skirts and quickly ran towards the blue box.

She had never seen anything like it! It was as if she was dreaming... but she couldn't have been. This was all too real. Smoke emitted itself from the strange blue box. Cinderella slowly neared it, dropping her skirts and staring at the object in awe. She quickly jumped back when the doors opened.

"What if it's dangerous out there?" a woman said.

"Where is your sense of adventure?" a man responded. "C'mon, Clara." A man stepped out in a swivel of different motions. Cinderella had never seen anything like him. His clothes were strange, nothing like what the low or high men wear in her town. Following him was a woman who was also dressed strangely. She was wearing pants! It was a strange type of fabric that Cinderella had never seen before. Who were these people? Where did they come from? _Are you sure you aren't actually dreaming?_

Cinderella opened her mouth and closed it quickly. She was still wearing her dress; it looked almost new, her hair was tidy, not unkempt from her run. That was strange. Shouldn't the magic have worn off by now?

At last, the man took notice of her. "Oh, hello!" he greeted cheerily. Cinderella said nothing, she couldn't find her voice. The man continued to speak. "I'm the Doctor and this is Clara. We're visitors here. Who might you be?"

"Oh! Are you a princess?" the girl, Clara, asked.

Visitors? Princess? Cinderella didn't know what to say. "What kind of world is this, Doctor?" Clara asked again. The man pulled out some strange object, Cinderella's eyes widened. The object glowed green and made a strange noise. The man put it away into the pocket of his coat and glanced at Clara.

"It appears to be a world like any other... but there is something odd about it, I just can't put my finger on it."

"Ella," Cinderella said at once. "Call me Ella. And no... I mean, yes... I am a princess." Cinderella wasn't a liar, but she didn't want to be Cinderella, she wanted to be someone else, just like when she went to the ball. No one knew her. It wouldn't kill her to play the role still.

"Princess Ella!" the man exclaimed with a smile. "Pleased to meet you." He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Now," the Doctor said. "How would you like to join me and Clara on a little adventure?"

"It's much bigger on the inside," Cinderella said. She clasped her hands together and held them under her chin. "This must be a dream! Nothing like this is possible."

"Oh, but it is," the Doctor said.

Cinderella cautiously stepped forward, getting a better look at the strange gears that clearly were not from her world. Not too far from where Cinderella was standing, Clara spoke to the Doctor in hushed tones. "Why does she seem so familiar?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Clara," the Doctor said, walking towards the control panel. "She's just a Princess who agreed to an adventure. What could possibly be familiar about her?"

Clara bit her lip, studying the pretty blonde princess carefully. She would have asked, but it wasn't any of her concern, even if it was killing her to know who this girl was. "Ella," Clara said, nearing the princess. "Sorry if this is none of my business, but why were you running away?"

Cinderella's face flushed. "I wasn't running away," the girl said quietly.

"Yes you were, your carriage was facing in the opposite way of the castle," Clara said.

Cinderella bit her lip, formulating her words carefully. "I was just getting some air. There was a large ball and I just didn't want to be around so many people." Cinderella watched Clara bite her lip, obviously skeptical about the story.

"So, Princess Ella," the Doctor announced, breaking the two girls out of their trance. "Where would you like to go?"

"I can choose anywhere?" the pretend princess smiled.

"Anywhere, anytime, your choice and then we can return you back home in perfect condition," the Doctor smiled warmly.

Cinderella bit her lip. There were so many places she wanted to visit, but she could only pick one. It was a difficult decision. Cinderella looked over at the Doctor, "You said anytime?"

His smile softened and he nodded.

Cinderella placed a hand over her heart. She would like to see her father again; she was just a girl when he passed away. "Can we go back a few years so I can see my father again?" The Doctor and Clara glanced at each other. It took a while, but the Doctor agreed.

He was expecting something a little more exciting from the runaway princess, but he obeyed her wish.

* * *

><p>"It's driving me mad, Doctor. I have it on the tip of my tongue," Clara told him. They watched the Princess Ella from afar as she carefully inspected the control panel. She was bent over, letting one of her fingers tap her chin as she tried to make sense of it all.<p>

"Stop thinking about it and it'll come to you," the Doctor grinned down at her.

"You know something and you're not telling me," Clara narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he walked away from her just as the TARDIS settled down. "Princess Ella, we have arrived ten years in your past."

Ten years, the pretend princess wondered. Her father passed away ten years ago, she would never forget the day he had fallen ill and died. She never left his side, not once. Cinderella was distraught back then because her stepmother and stepsisters began taking advantage of her out of mere spite. It was an awful transition; something always made her believe that her stepmother had something to do with it.

Cinderella squared her shoulders and stepped out of the blue box. It was a sunny afternoon in her village. In the distance she could see the golden glittering tops of the castle. There was more hustle and bustle in the town than ever; it was a shame that the scene wasn't like this back home. Cinderella stopped before venturing out of the alley; she looked down at her dress. Her mouth formed an 'o' shape when the gorgeous gown was replaced with something simpler; one that wouldn't give her strange looks. It was like she was back in her usual skin.

Cinderella knew exactly where to find her father; he liked to spend his time browsing the shops, never buying anything he didn't need. Behind her, Cinderella could hear the footsteps of the Doctor and Clara. The pretend princess walked quickly down the main street, avoiding carriages, children and people. The crowd was far too thick for her to see any one face; Cinderella paused and pursed her lips.

"You walk fast, your highness," the Doctor said, smiling.

Cinderella turned and sent the man a small smile. "I suppose I'm a little excited to see him again, it's been far too long," she said. "I was just a girl of eight when he passed away." Cinderella continued her search, leaving Clara and the Doctor behind.

Clara tugged on the Doctor's arm, preventing him from moving forward. "It's quite strange, don't you think," she began. "Why on earth would a princess's father be in a village? Wouldn't it cause a stare?"

The Doctor said nothing, he simply grinned. Clara grew more and more frustrated with each of the passing moments the Doctor neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions. The girl sighed before following the man who trailed after the bizarre princess.

Cinderella sighed, giving up after only minutes of searching. There were far too many people to see any one face. Cinderella stood in front of a tailor shop; she peeped through the dirty window at the woman being fitted for a dress when someone pushed Cinderella aside. The girl jumped in surprise, she turned around and glared at the culprit. Her features suddenly softened when she recognized the face.

"Pardon me, miss," the man adjusted his glasses. "I'm in a bit of a hurry; just trying to find the perfect gift for my daughter."

Cinderella's eyes slowly welled up with fresh tears. Blinking would only cause them to fall, and she didn't want to scare away her father so quickly. She wanted to tell him who she was, but she couldn't. It wouldn't be right, he would call her crazy. "Oh, don't cry miss, I said I was sorry," her father outstretched his hand and gently patted her shoulder.

"It's quite alright, fa-I mean, sir," Cinderella said. "You just remind me of my father... he passed away a few years ago." Cinderella used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that blurred her vision. "I'm sure you'll find the perfect gift. What's your daughter's name?" She knew this answer, of course. She just wanted to hear him say her name one last time.

"Cinderella," the older man smiled warmly at her. Cinderella's heart soared; she smiled back. From behind, Cinderella heard someone gasp. "I bought her this locket at first. I wanted something a little more extravagant, she's my everything. What do you think?"

Cinderella glanced down at the locket in her father's hand. It was a small, rusty thing, but it was lovely. "It's beautiful. I'm sure she'll love it," she said.

"You think so?" the man questioned.

"I know so," Cinderella smiled.

The smile was returned. Her father tipped his hat and bid Cinderella goodbye. She watched his figure blend with the thick crowd of townspeople. "Goodbye father," she whispered.

A few feet away, Clara and the Doctor stared at each other. "Cinderella!" The pretend princess turned around at her true name. "You're not Ella, you're Cinderella!" Clara had a childish smile planted on her face, as if she just learned something extraordinary.

Cinderella sighed as she neared the two. "I am... I'm no princess. I'm sorry for lying," she said.

"No need to feel sorry, my dear," the Doctor said. "I hope you're little adventure was everything you hoped it would be?"

Cinderella nodded shyly. "I would have picked something a little more interesting, but seeing my father one last time before I'm to return to my awful life means so much. He always knew how to cheer me up."

Clara bit her lip. She and the Doctor shared a few knowing glances. "Don't worry, Cinderella," Clara said. The three began making their way back to the TARDIS to return the pretend princess back to her own time. "It will get better. Don't lose hope." The Doctor smiled down at his companion in approval.

"Don't forget what I said, Cinderella," Clara said. Cinderella stood outside of the blue box; now back in her white gown. "Don't lose hope." Cinderella forced a smile as the two young women hugged. The Doctor stepped forward and kissed the top of Cinderella's hand.

"It will get better," he said, repeating Clara's words. Cinderella slowly nodded. She took a step back, her heart slowly breaking. She placed a hand over her chest as the doors of the blue box closed, and before her very eyes it vanished. The tears slid down her cheeks as she turned around and walked back to her carriage. It was as if time stopped during her temporary absence.

_It will get better_; Cinderella replayed the words over and over in her mind. As she neared the carriage, her white gown faded away, leaving behind the tattered pink dress in its place. Cinderella held back a sob. _It will get better. It will get better. Better?_ Was it some kind of trick they were playing on her? How would her life get better? Tears continued to trickled down her face as she reminisced her wonderful night with the Prince and her strange adventure with the man in a blue box.

_Better._


End file.
